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Blerdcon

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Coordinates: 38°50′55″N 77°3′6″W / 38.84861°N 77.05167°W / 38.84861; -77.05167
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Blerdcon
StatusActive
GenreMulti-genre[1][2]
VenueHyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
Location(s)Arlington, Virginia
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated2017
Attendance9,447 in total[3]
Websitehttps://blerdcon.org/

Blerdcon is an annual three-day multi-genre convention held during July at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. The convention's name comes from the word "blerds", a term for black nerds.[1][4][5] It was co-founded by Hassan Parrish and Hilton George.[6][7] Blerdcon aims to be diverse and inclusive.[4][5]

Programming

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Blerdcon typically features cosplay contests, concerts, gaming tournaments, maid café, panels, vendors, and workshops.[1][8][9][10] The gaming room is open 24-hours during the event.[4][9][11]

History

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Blerdcon's idea came out of the experience of attending another convention, MomoCon.[1] First year attendance was higher than expected, with 1,800 people.[4] Blerdcon 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10][12][13] Blerdcon 2021 required attendees to wear masks and provide their COVID-19 vaccination card.[10] The cosplay contest caused controversy in 2021 due to it being won by a Caucasian woman.[14][15] Blerdcon in 2022 continued to have mask and vaccination requirements.[16] The convention had programming on Thursday in 2023.[17] For safety during the 2025 event, S. Clark Street was closed.[18][19]

Event history

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Dates Location Atten. Guests
June 30 - July 2, 2017 Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
Arlington, Virginia		1,800 (est.)[4]Bec's Cosplay Wonderland and Eric "The Smoke" Moran.[20]
July 27–29, 2018 Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
Arlington, Virginia		Karan Ashley, Mega Ran, Michael "Knightmage" Wilson,[21] Douriean Fletcher, Kevin Grevioux, and Keisha Tucker.[22]
July 12–14, 2019 Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
Arlington, Virginia		Beau Billingslea, Estelle,[23] Shaina “Samuraider” West, and Rachel True.[24]
July 16-18, 2021 Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
Arlington, Virginia		Karan Ashley,[25] Dax ExclamationPoint, Barr Foxx, Roxxy Haze, Wreck it Ronnie, Scotty Swan, Violette Verse, and Yeliz.[26]
July 8-10, 2022 Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
Arlington, Virginia		J'adore Cosplay[27] and Orlando Jones.[7]
July 7-9, 2023[17] Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
Arlington, Virginia		Karan Ashley, Ade M'Cormack, Cree Summer, and Rachel True.[28][29]
July 12-14, 2024[30] Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
Arlington, Virginia		Ahmed Best, Atandwa Kani,[30] Walter Jones, and Phil LaMarr.[31]
March 7-9, 2025 Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
Arlington, Virginia		9,447 in total[3]Reed Shannon,[3] Chuck Lightning, Janelle Monae, and Chad Weatherford.[32]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Rozen, Courtney (Jun 30, 2017). "Blerdcon Blends Diversity and Geek Culture". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  2. ^ Allen, Troy-Jeffrey (August 7, 2018). "Adventures at BLERDCON DC". Black Public Media. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Blerdcon 2025 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  4. ^ a b c d e Page-Kirby, Kristen (July 26, 2018). "Now bigger and brighter, the 2nd annual Blerdcon has space for everyone". Washington Post. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Showcasing amazing cosplay looks for Blerdcon 2018". WUSA. July 25, 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  6. ^ Laws, Khalid (12 July 2022). "Blerdcon returns to Virginia to celebrate Black nerd culture". The National Desk. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  7. ^ a b "At Blerdcon, Black nerds see themselves and find their tribe". TheGrio. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  8. ^ Berko, Katherine (30 June 2017). "'Minority Nerd' Convention Coming to Crystal City". ARLnow. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  9. ^ a b Lefrak, Mikaela (July 26, 2018). "Blerdcon Is Back: What To Expect From The Convention That Celebrates Black-Nerd Culture". WAMU. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  10. ^ a b c DeVoe, Jo (16 July 2021). "Inclusive 'Blerdcon' Convention Kicks Off in Crystal City". ARLnow. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  11. ^ Orobana, Michelle (July 1, 2018). "Blerdcon". Whurk Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  12. ^ "BLERDCON ANNOUNCEMENT". Facebook. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Blerdcon 2020 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  14. ^ Cardin, Kathryn (22 July 2021). "White woman wins cosplay contest at convention celebrating Black nerds, sparking outrage". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  15. ^ Banim, Julia (July 22, 2021). "White Woman Wins Cosplay Contest At Convention Celebrating Black Nerds". UNILAD. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  16. ^ Chan, Mavis (8 July 2022). "Blerdcon, celebrating Black nerd culture, returns to Arlington today". ARLnow. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  17. ^ a b Wicker, Kay (4 July 2023). "'Fae'd to Black': Blerdcon returns for its 7th year with a star-studded lineup". TheGrio. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  18. ^ Taranto, Katie (4 March 2025). "BlerDCon returns to Crystal City this weekend with 'Thrilla' theme | ARLnow.com". ARLnow. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  19. ^ "TRAFFIC ALERT: Blerdcon 2025". Arlington County Virginia. February 28, 2025.
  20. ^ "Blerdcon 2017 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  21. ^ "Blerdcon 2018 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  22. ^ Pincus, Melanie (20 July 2018). "Blerdcon, 'Fully Inclusive' Convention for Nerds, Returns to Crystal City". ARLnow. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  23. ^ "Blerdcon 2019 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
  24. ^ "3rd Annual Blerdcon Celebrates Diversity in Nerd Culture". The Zebra. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  25. ^ "Blerdcon 2021 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  26. ^ Cremen, Alanea (July 16, 2021). "BlerdCon: Why you may see Spider-Man, Batman and more walking around this weekend". WUSA. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  27. ^ "Blerdcon 2022 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  28. ^ Wicker, Kay (8 July 2023). "Blerdcon 2023 opens with a high-energy first day". TheGrio. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  29. ^ LeTendre, Hallie (7 July 2023). "BlerDCon, celebrating Black nerd culture, kicks off today in Crystal City". ARLnow. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  30. ^ a b Smith, Brandon (13 June 2024). "BlerDCon 2024: Black nerd convention brings cosplay, food trucks, and star guests to Arlington". FOX 5 DC. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  31. ^ Goldchain, Michelle (11 July 2024). "Things to do in the DC area: Blerdcon, Bastille Day … and more!". WTOP. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  32. ^ Robinson, Ashley (7 March 2025). "BlerDCon 2025 kicks off in Crystal City, featuring Janelle Monáe and more". WJLA. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
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38°50′55″N 77°3′6″W / 38.84861°N 77.05167°W / 38.84861; -77.05167

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